Yesterday morning my boys had their last soccer game of the season. It is a good thing as the weather has grown chillier and soon it won’t be so easy to play soccer with stiff and frozen joints.
The game happened to be against all their preschool friends who were all so happy to see Roland and Windsor. On the other hand the boys weren’t so sure about playing against their friends. They loved the team they were on and had lots of fun, but there is just something about playing against friends that makes it different.
At one point Roland subbed himself out of the game and stayed out for the rest of the game while Windsor alternated between trying hard and talking to his old friends. Afterwards they were happy and told us that we should have more patience and put them on that team next year. That was an easy agree as we can walk to practice.
Later in the day I asked them again and Roland told me he didn’t want to do soccer again because he wasn’t a good enough goal scorer, and I told him that if he didn’t play and didn’t practice he wouldn’t score any goals. That the key to getting better is to practice. That had him back to agreeing to play but they both want to do baseball in the Spring instead of soccer which works for me. I’m not going to try both in one season. Especially since the games are both on Saturdays.
The interesting thing about sports is they didn’t start until I was older when I was a kid. Watching the boys play yesterday it is obvious who the kids that are just maturing faster are vs the ones that are going to develop real skill. The latter category is impossible to know. There is too much growth left to happen.
One of the things I wish my parents did for me as a kid is make me stick to activities. I had one season or one year of so many different activities. I never had the time to develop or find my place in anything. Some of that is my personality. I still jump from activity to activity and find it difficult to stick to one thing.
That is why life come with guides and for my children I am going to work my best to be the best guide that I can.
David Huzzard Writes 